Public policies for contemporary art in Italy: building a Network

This paper is aimed to synthesize the cultural policies pursued by the Italian Public Administration at all government levels in the field of contemporary art. In a frame frequently changing its scope and name in the last decades - finally, the today MiBACT, the Ministry for cultural heritage and activities and tourism - the Plan for contemporary art has been, and still is, the main financial instrument for the acquisition of works of art to public property, despite the gradual reduction of the related allocations over time. Since the end of 2009, the Office in charge of Contemporary Architecture and Art, in particular its Contemporary Network, is aimed to connect both the range of activities and services carried out by the public administration at the State, the regional and local level and those performed by agencies, foundations as well as private persons. The coordination among these various entities and the differences in action and results realized in Southern and Centre-Northern Italy are focused as chief problems and primary targets of the Office undertaking, in view of improving the overall quality of the Italian cultural policy in support of contemporary art, and to profitably interact with the international scene.